Mattel’s Hot Wheels returns in video game form with Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, a bigger and better game than its already brilliant predecessor. When recreating Mattel’s iconic plastic cars in 3D form, developer Milestone had a huge task ahead of them. After all, how does one recreate such an iconic brand with all the minute details fans have come to expect across the toys’ 50-plus years of sales?
We talked to Milestone’s lead artist on Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, Paolo Giannico, about the process of recreating the toy cars in video game form. From the high-poly 3D models to the small scratches, divots, and other blemishes reminiscent of actually-used toy cars, Milestone’s work bringing the Hot Wheels cars to life starts the same as any licensed game: with the IP holder.
After selecting which cars they wish to, and can, replicate inside Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, Milestone worked with Mattel to gather all relevant design documents for each and every toy car you see in the game. Every design document from sketches to blueprints was provided, allowing the developer’s talented artists to recreate our beloved childhood toys.
“The process begins with a selection of possible vehicles to recreate in the game,” we were told. “Before starting the creation phases, our Reference department collects and catalogs all the original visual references with the correct colors and materials with which they are made in reality, so that artists in the 3D Vehicles department can then faithfully recreate them.”
Alongside references, some cars required Milestone’s devs to purchase real Hot Wheels toys to work with. These toys allowed the developers to replicate every minute detail down to the way that light reacts to different styles of paint.
“Once we know which vehicles to produce, we undergo a phase of references and details collection that are provided by Mattel,” Giannico explained. “Usually, before starting the production we also purchase the real models to use them as references. In rare cases, we [also] created vehicles that had not yet been produced, so we based our work only on the look they had in the photo.”
Giannico explains that working on a property as beloved as Hot Wheels requires everyone to be “as faithful as possible.”. This required the creation of “complex shaders for showing shiny and opaque metals, metallics, glitter paints, opaque and transparent plastics” that are then applied to 3D models.
For Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, Milestone wanted to make sure that the minute scratches, fingerprints, and slight scuffs from playing with toys were properly replicated alongside the pristine toy cars. Areas such as the cars’ plastic windshields can have scuffs present from manufacturing and other imperfections show up too.
“All the scratches and details that are so appreciated by users were carefully studied,” Giannico told us. “However, we decided not to put too many and limit ourselves to superficial and plausible damage after a race, so as not to focus too much on the fact that they are damaged.”
Giannico explained that adding “imprints and signs of wear brings us closer to the true feeling of [playing with] these toys experienced by every child.”
Despite being a stunning looking game, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2’s killer visuals are only possible due to intense optimisations. Milestone explains that they focused “on the big picture” as players spend their entire time drifting around slick plastic tracks at blistering speeds.
Some incredibly intensive features, such as ray-tracing, were left out, and Milestone decided to keep with its current optimised Unreal Engine 4 development pipeline instead of debuting the newer Unreal Engine 5. With Milestone made up of many teams and multiple projects, such a huge change wasn’t possible.
“The transition to the latest technologies is a real challenge for a company like Milestone,” we were told. “First of all, every year we have many production lines parallel to each other, and when we started developing Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, the departments responsible for technological advancement could not guarantee stability in the transition. That’s why we decided to keep UE4 for this title, in order to preserve the security of our internal tools and production stability.”
As we explained in our glowing Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 review, Milestone’s newest racer is not only a great looker, but runs fantastically on all platforms. While it may appear normal on the surface, a deeper look reveals so many fine details and care for the brand that’s impossible to forget.